Chapter 13 – The End of the Hunt.
A/N: Sorry for the delay, long chapter, lots of electrical problems and life in general being a pain. Still, good to hear from a familiar reviewer after a bit of a hiatus:
GTP – So you think you know what Big's drawing huh? Well next chapter you can find out if you were right (can't say more than that or I'll let the cat out the bag!)
HHH – Yep, hope you enjoy the homecoming…
RGN – Any idea why they're all marsupials – I guess it's got something to do with the island continent of Australia, but I'm not an evolutionist by any means. Any, as for the ninth guardian, that's way too far in the future – a lot's going to happen before that (loads more fics :-))
Ri2 – Interesting question – I suppose to Mecha death, or in his case being offline, is an annoyance as it means he can't perform his directives; he can't really understand death. Dimitri, however, is still partly flesh and blood, so he can understand and in his case fear death; also, he can still suffer it. Remember that ceiling well; it might crop up again, you never know…
TH – As you command, more good work (hopefully).
"I can't believe we got away with that one" Charmy said again, shaking his head as Mighty ate her breakfast the following day; she looked up and smiled,
"Well, he obviously saw something there none of you lot did; he mentioned that mind thing he does, his unique gift, can work both ways, that's why it took as long as it did. He was telling me what was afoot at the same time as checking I was safe to join this crew".
"Just as well you were", the bee put on a sceptical, harsh expression as he wriggled his fingers menacingly, "we'd have had to kill you otherwise".
"Good luck trying flyboy" she commented dryly before her face fell slightly, her eyes misting over slightly as she considered something that had troubled her for the previous day and most of the night as well; seeing this, Charmy moved a little closer and enquired,
"Something up?"
"Yeah, that robot thing we all trashed", she answered after a second, taking a fortifying sip of orange juice before continuing, "it was Sonic, wasn't it? I mean, you all call it Metal Sonic – it was built after him right, but why? I know he's a hero and all, you couldn't read a paper without his mug on the front page a while back, but what's that thing got to do with it?"
The things I could tell you; the bee bit his lip softly – he knew he could fill the armadillo in on some of the aspects of what Metal Sonic was, and the threat he represented, but at the same time he knew the only way she'd ever get the full picture, short of living through what they all had, would be to get it right from the hedgehog's mouth.
"You'll have to ask him", Mighty looked over, this new idea never having occurred to her as Charmy carried on, "tell you what, ask Vec for a couple of days off; I'm pretty sure Tails could run you there and back and forth in a couple of days and that'd be long enough to get what you need to know".
"Good idea Charm"; the new voice made them both jump, watching as Vector eased himself into the kitchen, the stark white of the plasters and bandages that seemed to be keeping him in one piece highlighting against his green scales as Mighty, compassion saturating her body language, silently pulled him out a chair and motioned for him to sit down. As he slumped into the seat, Espio slinking in almost unnoticed behind him, the crocodile spoke,
"Missed most of that; what'd you want Sonic to tell you?"
"About Metal", Mighty confirmed, the vision of the duplicate flying away from her in the wake of her punch, the blood dribbling from his claws in crimson rain, still chilled her even if she'd been seeing it in her mind for several hours, "what is he, and why's he still alive – you said the Dark Legion rebuilt him, so who made him in the first place?"
"I can understand that", Vector assured her, a timely internal reminder letting him know that the armadillo was still new to the Chaotix and, as a consequence, all their friend's secrets and pasts, "but I can't let you go Mighty; not until Knuckles and Rouge show back up". She nodded, a slight smile on her lips as she pushed the coffee pot over to the injured reptile and answered him,
"I guessed as much; with that Microsoft reject on the loose we'll need to be alert, for him as well as the Legion if he's working for them. Don't sweat it, I can wait a couple of weeks; they should be back by then right?"
"Give or take", Vector swigged his drink direct from the pot, the others genteelly ignoring the breach of manners in light of his fight the previous day, "anyway, back on the agenda, I'm not convinced that one's enough, not against Mecha, so here's how it's goin' down. Charmy", the bee looked up at the mention of his name, "you and I'll sort out the pyramids, you two'll stay here JIC". Espio raised a protest as Charmy translated JIC to Just In Case for Mighty's benefit,
"You shouldn't go into the desert until your wounds are healed, and I mean that Vector", before anyone could level completely unfounded accusations of caring at him, the chameleon finished, "if sand gets into them you'll really regret it; the only thing worse than sand is salt in a wound".
"Ouch", the crocodile winced and looked down at the deepest of his injuries, the cut finally sealed behind a thick pad and bandage after a lot of convincing the previous night. Espio felt a tap on his shoulder and turned; something akin to apprehension bloomed on his face as he saw Mighty smile at him sweetly,
"You know what that means Espy"; probably nothing good; "you and I are going to get a lot closer while they're gone", a light blush slid up the chameleon's neck and cheeks despite his best attempts to stop it as Mighty, smile now full of sauce as she played to her audience, walked two fingers carefully up from his wrist towards his shoulder; she leaned in close to whisper in his ear, "my shell needs polishing again!"
XXX
He was stood ahead of her, almost naked now; she'd done the hard work by convincing him to allow her to try this, all she needed to do now was put the finished touches into place. Smiling seductively, Lien-Da stepped into the light at the centre of the room, speaking coolly in a voice so thick it could have been called maple syrup,
"Hey there", she stepped in as he turned to see her; she almost felt his desire to pull away, not let himself be subjected to this, but he would not, he needed this almost as much as she wanted it, "ready to go?"
A solitary nod, he really was the strong, silent type; just the way I like them; the female echidna smirked as she stepped even closer, resting her chin on his shoulder, her arms coiling around his back to begin their delicate work. He did not embrace her back, she hadn't expected him to but still, the disappointment was vague – she hadn't expected him to trust her, but it would have been nice to at least pretend, add some of his spice to the occasion. She carried on, her body brushing his as one by one the seconds ticked past, the slow, sensuous work continuing until, with a rattle and a very soft click, Lien came away slightly, his last garment in her hand. She saw his movement as she gently placed it to the side, now obsolete and useless, and snickered slightly,
"Aww, shyness, I like that in a guy", she pointed at his crossed arms, guarding his weakness as she finished, "don't worry, I've seen it all before". With that last cruel and well-baited barb, she returned to her original position, smiling into his eyes before suddenly falling to her knees before him.
Incredible; once more she felt herself lost in awe, her fingers tracing the air over his stomach cavity, drinking in every detail to perfection, so she could see it again and again in the future. She remained this way, merely looking, doing nothing more, until there was a barely perceivable ripple above her; he was impatient, he wanted her to finish what she'd started, but she was in control here; she would look for as long as she desired and nothing he did would stop that. Her personal wants pushed up, just a little further; not content to watch any more, she moved her arm forwards minutely, the skin of her very fingertips reaching to caress, to stroke what was before her. But they did not; his hand shot down and seized her own as a cat would pounce upon a mouse; she looked up, grimacing upon being denied her prize as his eyes blazed at her.
"That's far enough", Metal's growl permeated the air around them, pricking her bubble of contentment like a razor as he stated the reason he was here, subject to her scrutiny, "you are to upgrade my defensive capabilities; that was the promise your Lord made to me". Despite being held virtually captive by one of the most lethal machines operational in the world, Lien managed to smile,
"I know what I'm to do", she answered coolly, languidly in her own time, "I was merely checking to see if any damage had gone a little deeper than you main armour". The robot lowered his face, the pressure on her hand increasing until she let out an involuntary mewl of pain,
"If you know my internal systems as well as you say you do", he threw her arm backwards, the echidna struggling to keep her balance and avoid falling onto her rump, "you'll know my internal assayers have already repaired the shock damage; I am fully functional save the armour you are to replace. And for your sake", he leered at her, she could not hold his pitiless orbs of condensed blood, "it had better be as effective as you say it is".
"You've seen the test results", she snapped back, pointing at the chest plate she was about to attach to the robot's now bare torso, "you know the structure of that piece of kit withstands punishment hundreds of times greater than your original could". That Metal couldn't argue with; though the new and old chest plates looked virtually identical save the mangling the old one had received, the plate formed by Lien's team was honeycombed with thousands upon thousands of tiny, virtually microscopic chambers, each individually sealed and filled with mercury, the liquid metal. This structure allowed the plate to stand put to far more physical force than the original, solid metal plate had; just as well considering the assassin droid's recent experiences.
"Remember Metal; I restored you", Lien reminded him as she made his torso clamps ready for the attachment, "I better than anyone know what you can do, and if it were up to me you wouldn't get within a hundred yards of this armour. Unfortunately, the decision wasn't mine".
"No, it wasn't", he mocked dangerously, tracking every millimetre she moved with perfect clarity as he glowered, "you have crippled me Kommissar; I was a perfect killing machine, and you have prevented me killing – my nemesis may never know death by my hand because of your meddling. Aiding in my protection was the least your pathetic Legion could do to make up for this mutilation, and know this", he added venomously as she moved the new armour into position, busily securing the top of the armour, holding it still while the vacuum seals drained themselves of air and virtually fused robot and new technology, "I hold you responsible for my condition".
Those words backed her off, sending a chill down her spine as she took several steps back, for the first time actually afraid of the thing she had helped rebuild as it pointed at her, the crusted blood still there on its claws as it made a dread promise,
"You reprogrammed me, and took away my reason for living. You have no idea what that means to me, the consequences I shall suffer for that – all your doing. And remember, what you have done can be undone; if I am ever liberated from your pitiful shackles of restraint", his eyes flared like twin suns, endless orbs of death and violence from someone that knew of nothing else, no other way to be or to act, directed at her alone, "you will be my first target, and I will see you dead".
"You can try Mecha", her answer a minute later surprised him slightly; there was no false sweetness, no mockery and certainly no fear in her voice; a streak of steel was exposed as she hefted her screwdriver once more, not flinching under his bale scrutiny, "you can try".
XXX
The day was bright and the sun was shining; it was a good day for a flight. Tails stretched out lazily, rubbing his eyes as he fought off a yawn; he had no reason to be tired after his lay in for the past two days. And there's a contract on today, should be a blinder as well; a five Mobian family of echidnas, all paid for under his family ticket offer to minimise their costs at the same time as maximise his profit. He flicked his eyes to the alarm clock on the side at the same time as push his fringe up with one hand; he really needed to give that a trim sometime soon, it was getting in the way now. It was a little later than he'd intended, but he had enough time, just slip on some shoes and run a comb through his mop, then a bit of breakfast and off to work. He reluctantly peeled off the covers and rolled onto his feet, shaking his coat and stretching up with his arms as his lungs saturated his blood with oxygen, drawn in by a massive yawn. The plan was simple, neat, efficient and lasted until he stepped out his front door and barked his shin on the object not sitting on his porch.
What the…?; ignoring the dull throb of pain from his minor scrape, the fox looked at the squat leviathan of the parcel world with both confusion and admiration; I ordered a few odds and ends to make the new Tornado, but nothing on this sort of scale – who would've sent this package for me? The idea that it might have been one of his elder brother's jokes flickered through his mind; he chuckled as he remembered a few years back, when he'd been younger and not quite as worldly wise, leaping around like a mad thing as a parcel fully two feet square had arrived for him on his birthday from Sonic. Fifteen minutes and countless layers of wrapping and smaller boxes later, the fox had come within a hairs-breath of garrotting the hedgehog to death with the pair of sacks that had nestled at the heart of the false present; a fate Sonic narrowly avoided by quickly delivering the real present of a year's subscription to the local physics magazine.
Banishing such thoughts, amusing as they might be now he could look back on them, the fox returned to the problem at hand and immediately sought out the most logical answer to the problem. Leaning over, he checked the addressee and his eyebrows rose; whoever had delivered this had known what they were doing. Looks like I've got something else this time besides cream tea and chocolate.
XXX
Time rolled on as it always did, the Dark Legion continuing to gather strength enough to challenge the Brotherhood and embrace all in its mechanical nirvana, the Chaotix continuing with their tasks and keeping a ferocious guard over the Master Emerald, if anything increased to take into account the new threat of Metal Sonic. The robotic hedgehog himself, repairs now completed and fully functional, left Necronopolis after a few days, speaking with Enerjak and the being he now considered number two on his hit list for a final time,
"Your repairs and upgrade were the last time we shall aid you freely Metal", the cyborg echidna intoned solemnly as Metal casually inspected his claws again, "should you require further assistance, we will need payment". He casually dropped his hand and tapped a single finger on his steel chin,
"Let me guess", even synthesised, his voice still managed to drip scorn, "my precious emotions?"
"Correct", Lien-Da spoke, her metallic spines shielding one of her eyes from view as she fixed the one piece of technology she loathed and at the same time was in awe of with a withering glare, "we'll get the software next time you run into trouble". Metal didn't deign to bother with an answer, simply activating his jets and rocketing towards the door, blithely ignoring his intended honour guard of Legionnaires for this purpose, scattering them like nine pins as he headed for freedom and the ability to perform the experiments he had been planning during the entirety of his enforced stay within the Dark Legion base of operations.
No-one truly notices how time can fly; it's only when you receive the really good news that you get any sort of idea. Vector was therefore hit out the blue at the call from the Brotherhood a few weeks down the line in mid-afternoon, Locke talking to hit with triumph in his voice,
"Vector, that you?"
"Er, yeah", the crocodile replied, keeping his fingers crossed as he never quite knew where he stood with the dour former guardian, "everythin' okay?"
"Better than okay in fact; my son and his wife arrived back a few hours ago and are currently in Haven now". Hold the phone; the crocodile was dumbstruck for a second; it can't have been that long already, surely not.
"You serious?"
"Of course".
"What, well; how are they both? Are we gonna see them soon?" There was a brief chuckle before the echidna spoke again,
"They're at the minute sleeping off rather a nasty jet-lag, so you've got a day's reprieve, but Knuckles was adamant he wanted to see you all at the shrine first thing tomorrow morning. Or at least I think that's what he wanted; kind of hard to tell with all the yawning". Vector shook his head and smirked, remembering the guardian's boast that he could go three nights with no sleep before Locke spoke again, his voice now lower and giving the crocodile reason to pause,
"I did mention that there was a new member of your team but I didn't go into specifics; neither of them was in a fit state for any kind of explanation, but they know there's going to be someone new there. I didn't say a thing about that Metal hedgehog though, that'll be up to you, got it?"
"Sure", Vector nodded, trying to think of a way to slip that into a normal conversation without making the guardian keel over; so far nothing constructive was showing up, "I'll, think of something".
XXX
Still thinking, come on inspiration, talk to me; nope, nothing doing; he was just inside the shrine of the Master Emerald and he still couldn't even begin to explain what had happened over the time the two guardians had been gone. Maybe the sight of the returned newly weds would help, but not altogether unsurprisingly it didn't; they still looked much the same as ever as the four members of the Chaotix assembled before them, each group examining the other even as their unspoken words told them it was good to see each other once more.
To the crocodile's eyes, Knuckles and Rouge were still that same couple that had been driven away nearly three months ago, still with that spark of life and vitality erupting from every pore as they stood close, supporting each other unconsciously with their arms loosely on each others shoulders as though it was the most natural thing in the world. For a second, all was silent; in fact it was Knuckles who broke the silence,
"Well, there's no place like home", he commented as he swept his eyes around the shrine, lingering for a minute on the gently revolving Master emerald before finishing, "especially if you find it in the same state you left it".
"Well we did try, but I think we forgot the dusting" Charmy countered before focussing on Rouge and delivering a cutting riposte, "and anyway, we're all desperate to know; did you answer Amy's question?"
"Ah no", Knuckles slapped his forehead theatrically as Vector disguised his laugh behind a discreet cough, Rouge doing her best to ignore the bee's comment, though had looks been lethal Charmy would have been ash by now, "I forgot to make notes on that".
"And you claim to never forget a duty", Rouge decided the best way to avoid embarrassment was to deflect it on someone else, "Amy'll be so unhappy".
"I'm sure she'll understand", Knuckles turned to his wife with a smile a league wide on his face, trouble suffusing every inch of it, "after all, when it got to that stage I had more important things on my mind, and other bits of me" he added as an afterthought. Most of the assembled grimaced and tried not to laugh as Rouge, aware her cheeks were going slightly red, tried to claw back some dignity,
"You're not doing yourself any favours here".
"I don't need to", he was in full flow here and that was an opening, "until recently you were doing most of them for mooooffff!"
Mighty never saw the bat's foot move; one second Knuckles, or who she assumed to be Knuckles, was grinning at his wife gleefully, the next he was doubled over, hugging his stomach as Rouge glared at him, none of the male members of the Chaotix not daring to make a peep in case she turned on them. There was a deathly quiet as Knuckles sucked in air, just about straightening out and grinning painfully,
"I guess I deserved that".
"Too right you did", Rouge informed him venomously before her attention was averted, her fierce glare softening into a look of curiosity and humour as she surveyed the newest addition to the Chaotix, "now if you're quite finished gasping like a fish darling, maybe you'd care to introduce yourself". The former spy stepped forwards, extending her hand towards the other woman as Mighty reciprocated, not daring her favoured form of greeting in case it was taken the wrong way by either member of the union.
"Finally", the bat began, smiling broadly now as their hands met and shook softly, "there's someone else around here with brains, imagination and something resembling a sense of fashion; you have no idea how hard I have to kick his tail to get him into any sort of store"; she jerked a thumb at Knuckles, who huffed; Mighty grinned,
"If he's giving you a hard time, let me have a go; I'll get him moving". Out the corner of her eye, the armadillo saw Charmy moving slowly towards Knuckles and absent-mindedly wondered what he could be up to as Rouge answered,
"Sorry, er, Locke said your name was Michelle, is that right?" She nodded at Vector's discreet cough; sparing him the very briefest of glances she saw his subtle wink.
"Yeah, that's me; you're Rouge and I assume he's Knuckles, the guardian and your husband?"
"Sadly so", fortunately for Charmy's sake Rouge didn't look over her shoulder as he was almost directly behind her now, "somehow I let him trick me into walking up the aiiiiiiiyoulittlesod!" She shrieked in outrage as everyone else virtually fell apart laughing as Charmy took it upon himself to answer the question Knuckles had been tasked with finding out; quickly darting forwards, the bee grabbed a handful of the bat's jumpsuit and gave a hard yank upwards.
"I have the answer", Charmy stood posed like a missionary receiving divine guidance from his lord as everyone else bar Rouge and Espio fell about laughing, "she's wearing aauguugghhh!" He couldn't impart his knowledge for the very simple reason that two hands had fastened around his throat and were now attempting the throttle the life from him, Rouge's face scant inches from his own and her flaming eyes seeming to engulf his own as she hissed,
"Brilliant Charmy, you've set a new record", she shook the bee hard enough to get him to panic, though not to threaten too much as she had to hide a smile; I really should have expected something like that; "I've been back less than five minutes and I already want to kill you – not even Sonic was that fast off the mark!" Knuckles moved in to try and restrain his new wife, though as he was currently trying to fend off an internal assault of the giggles he wasn't too much help and Vector was long gone; it seemed as though Charmy was on his own in this one. Luckily though, Rouge made him an offer,
"If you swear never to tell anyone about this, I won't hunt you down and stab you to death with your own stinger, how's that for a deal?"
"Guh, gug, good!" The bee managed to gargle before taking a sudden deep breath, Rouge releasing him before straightening up and attempting to sort her errant clothing out, glaring at the Chaotix and her husband to get them to cut off their giggles. When all calm was restored, it fell to Knuckles to step forwards, make his own introductions and then ask,
"So, how did you get mixed up with this motley crew?" Inspiration; Vector felt a sudden light bulb ping on and thanked the star he was born under; thank you kindly. Mighty was drawing herself up to speak; he had to act quickly to cut across her,
"Ah, that can wait for a minute"; everyone looked up at the croc, least of all the miffed armadillo, though Vector didn't give them any attention as he focussed on Rouge, having to summon all of his acting talent to pull this one off, "there's somethin' I've been dyin' to do for ages now; I need a game of throw Rouge - I'm feelin' up to a record breaker".
XXX
Why are you going to…?; Mighty was baffled by this statement, trying to figure out what Vector meant by throwing Rouge and how was it some kind of game?
"Wow, that one really was a hit", Knuckles commented before stretching off and smiling challengingly at the leader of the Chaotix, "come on babe, please say yes; just for the look on his face when I shatter his record".
"Good luck trying furry", the crocodile grinned back as Rouge shook her head, her wings flexing as though in anticipation as she sighed dramatically,
"I don't suppose I get a say in this?"
"No" both future competitors answered for her; with a chuckle, the bat waved them outside, Mighty trailed just long enough to grab Espio and whisper frantically,
"What's throw Rouge? They won't really sling her around will they?" The chameleon threw her a glance, coupled with a disconcerting look,
"It's something that's better seen than explained; don't worry, no-one gets hurt", the armadillo nodded just as he added, "most of the time".
XXX
Mighty sat next to the rest of the Chaotix save Vector, who was stood shoulder to shoulder with Rouge as Knuckles paced to the front of the shrine, loosening off his shoulders and arms before spinning to face them and smiling widely,
"Okay Rouge, ready when you are". Mighty watched intently, itching to discover what this mysterious game was before suddenly the bat exploded forwards, sprinting towards her husband as he waited; the end was so sudden she nearly missed it – one second Rouge was leaping into her husband's arms, the next she was streaking upwards like a streamlined bullet, snapping her wings open after her velocity peaked and slowly gliding to the floor as Vector called,
"Barely hit the arch peak; this'll be a cinch". As the echidna and crocodile swapped places and catcalls, Mighty whispered,
"So that's throw Rouge?"
"Yeah", Charmy answered, spectating eagerly as Vector gave the bat the signal, "Knuckles originally developed it as a way to get stronger and we all tried it, even me, but it's also useful to get a birds-eye of the surroundings; you can do it with me as well, but I'm a lot lighter so you won't get as strong as fast as if Rouge gets thrown".
"Are you insinuating…?"
"No, no way and never; I'm in hot enough water as it is, any more and it'd be a sauna. Vector's round easy – it's played to three normally". Rouge seemed to agree to the bee's call, declaring as she landed once more,
"Yep, this one goes to Vector, a good two feet in it".
"I'm outta practise" Knuckles declared, looking up ruefully as the triumphant crocodile strode over to clap him on the shoulder and smile,
"Yeah, but this round ain't over yet", he turned, crossed his fingers and put the second part of his master plan into action, "hey Michelle, why don't you have a shot at it?"
The armadillo stood up in the silence that followed, though thankfully Knuckles didn't notice the stunned looks on the faces of Charmy and Espio as he agreed,
"Yeah, let's see what you can do; you got the basic idea right?" Mighty nodded as she arrived at the competing trio, giving a strained smile at the same time as whisper poisonously under her breath,
"Are you nuts?"
"They gotta find out somehow" Vector whispered back and Mighty cursed internally; she couldn't back out without losing a lot of face; with a would-be casual shrug, the armadillo trekked towards the shrine entrance and, slowly, turned around. She saw Rouge gear up for take-off before suddenly there was a blot of red in her peripheral vision and something she had heard a long time ago bolted back into her brain. Straightening, she called over quickly,
"Hey wait; Knuckles", the guardian looked over at his name, "Vec mentioned you can glide, that right?"
"Umm, yeah", the answered before the implications of that question sank in, "wait, you can't be serious?"
"You bet I am", now a lot more comfortable with this, Mighty hunkered down and cupped her hands, "when you're ready". She saw the husband and wife share a quick conversation before shrugging and Knuckles getting ready to take off,
"Brace yourself"; the echidna heard the whispered warning but before he could really think on it too much, his legs pistoned forwards and he shot away, racing and jumping at the right moment; he felt his foot impact on something soft that gave for a second, there was a loud shout and suddenly with a sick lurch of his stomach he became aware that he was going up an awfully long way, awfully fast.
XXX
Rouge saw her husband shoot up like a bottle rocket, but it didn't really sink in until there was a panicked yell and the mid-air figure began waving its arms and legs in an effort to exert some control of its upwards flight, now just about level with the midway point of the shrine roof and still climbing, albeit much more slowly. The bat's protective instincts snapped into place, as did her wings as she made to take off after Knuckles, but a firm hand on the shoulder broke her train of thought and Vector's voice in her ear steadied her somewhat,
"Hold your horses; he'll be okay – there, see"; can't fault him there; Rouge let out a breath she hadn't even know she'd been holding as Knuckles suddenly snapped into his normal gliding position and his lunatic flight became much more controlled; he span in tight circles overhead as he descended to the floor, occasionally curling up to drop altitude a little faster, though even at this distance Rouge could see his face and saw the fear that had so recently bitten her still chewing away merrily there. As he came to within ten feet of the floor and dropped, she rushed over, hugging him slightly as he tried to breathe again, seemingly on the verge of hyperventilation after such an unexpected shock.
"And it looks like we have a new record"; both treasure hunters looked over at the voice, Espio smirking before giving the nod at where Mighty was slowly heading their way, face torn between regret and subtle pride at such a feat, which, now Rouge actually considered it, was…hold on, throwing Knuckles halfway up the shrine of the Master Emerald, on your own? That was bloody incredible!
"What the…", she gasped for words, looking at the other woman and letting Knuckles stand on his own as his breathing returned to something resembling normal, "how did you do that?" A low chuckle from behind her; she and Knuckles both turned to see Vector clearing his throat and pointing at the armadillo,
"Sorry red, but you have to see it to believe it; we don't call her Michelle, she's Mighty Armadillo".
"Mighty", the guardian repeated before straightening up ad regathering something like a sense of calm and smiling weakly at the newest member of the Chaotix, "I can live with that, but a bit of a warning next time?"
"Sorry, Vector's orders"; she neatly diverted the blame to the crocodile, who held up his hands as at the same time simultaneously answered the silent questions and put the last step of his master plan into operation
"Mighty's been a real asset; she's the main reason we've got most of the stuff you wanted done. She came to use through Sonic, 'pparently, bluie used to be a dancer", there was a stifled snigger from Rouge, though Knuckles managed to somehow keep his face straight even as the same illusion pranced through his mind, "and she's his old partner. So, Mighty's the new member of the Chaotix, she's a really cool girl to have around and", the croc's tone suddenly dropped, his eyes misting over with seriousness as he felt phantom claws crushing his throat once more, "she's a large part of the reason I'm stood here talkin' to ya now".
"Vector", danger was tingling Knuckles' highly preserved sense of danger; even after a longer holiday than he'd ever dreamed of having, he could tell something that sobered Vector up this much had to be a bad thing, "what was that last bit again?"
"She, and the other two", Charmy and Espio were both indicated, the bee in particular looking more forlorn that usual as he realised what his older friend was driving towards, "saved my life about a month, three weeks back; while you were gone, someone made a snatch for the M.E."
"What?" Rouge glanced all around her as though expecting imminent attack, sharing her husband's burden as he looked at the crocodile harshly, desperate to know more,
"Right, who, and, well you must have driven them off, how'd you do it? Where are they now?"
"Probably the repair bay", Mighty commented, rubbing her knuckles as she replayed the punch she'd landed over again, "he'd need it after the number we did on him".
"Repairs; Dark Legion?" Rouge made an instant connection, but Charmy shook his head,
"Nah, well not quite; he said they repaired him, but we don't think he's working for them, not directly at least", the weight of expectation bore down on him and he relented to it, "it was Metal Sonic".
XXX
The rush of depression was so astute it was tangible; Knuckles staggered back a pace, his hands over his eyes as Rouge took a long, steadying breath, shaking her head as she reached out and put a hand on her soul mate's shoulder. Looking up, she heeded the need for the grisly details,
"What happened, in full?"
"He came flyin' in", Vector repeated the sequence of events from memory, carefully editing the ones he'd need to fill in privately, "I was first here on that magic pad your dad fitted; I saw him comin' and called for back-up. I tried to hold him and he'd have done me had Charmy not showed up; we slowed him enough to see Mighty run in. He musta thought she was you Knucks; he went straight for her, think he might have been confused from the dents we'd given him. It was short after that; they both hit each other once – he came of the worse, but o'course Mighty saw the M.E".
"I take full responsibility for that", Espio broke in suddenly, raising a hand as though challenging anyone to say he'd made the wrong choice, "I felt three stings and was with her at the time; I had a decision and I made it alone". Knuckles spared the chameleon a glance before nodding and refocusing on Vector,
"Let me guess, Spectre had to check her out?"
"Yeah, I thought we were busted for sure, but he looked to see who Metal was, saw it in Charmy's memory banks, and he decided she was safe and for her to stick with us".
"So here I am, and here I stay", the armadillo declared, her smile fading slightly though as she made a request to the guardians, "but I, er, I need a couple of days off soon though".
"What for Mighty?" Rouge enquired gently; the armadillo's troubled look turned to her as she tried to explain,
"It's that Metal Sonic thing; I know Sonic's a hero, and you guys all are as well, but what is he exactly – where'd he come from? I need a couple of answers about that and I want them from Sonic; he's got to be straight with me now I've actually seen the poxy machine".
"Good plan", Knuckles gave his approval, his lethal hands on his hips as he thought back to his own run ins with the mechanical nightmare, "I've got history with him, but Sonic's the authority of that contraption and…" a sudden spike of fear shot up the echidna's backbone, visions of the damaged android descending on helpless, unsuspecting prey and his next words were a hoarse whisper, "do they know?"
His fear clutched him harder as the questioning glances flickered left and right; they hadn't seen the depths to which the vengeful machine could sink and because of that the others were at grave risk. Desperate to be answered, he repeated,
"Do they know – Sonic and the others, do they know he's operational again?"
"Yeah", Charmy pierced the veil of confusion fastest and quickly eased his fears, "we rang them as soon as we'd patched Vector up; they all know and they've got their eyes peeled, but honestly, after the mess Mighty made of him, I don't think he'll be bothering anyone soon".
"Dangerous assumption", Rouge shook her head at the bee's idea, though she could see where he was coming from in thinking it, "he might be in league with the Legion don't forget; they could probably patch him up faster than even Eggman could". Charmy's face fell and he smacked his fist into his palm as he saw the flaw in his logic,
"Damn, should've thought of that" he chastised himself before, in an effort to lift the gloom, Knuckles broke the tension,
"Don't sweat it buzz-boy; he's not been back since, so I reckon we've got a little time. Just in case though we need to make sure we've got to get this place more secure from the air; I'll have to get the Brotherhood onto that. Before that though", the guardian gave a devilish smile that broke the team of assistant guardians out in cold sweats, "I want to see what you've managed to get done, and woe betide you if I see anything wrong with it".
"What can you do to us", Espio mentioned sardonically, balancing on his stars on a fingertip, "we've faced down Metal Sonic, what's worse than that?" Rouge favoured him with a basilisk smile,
"How about a day-long shopping trip with me Esp; believe me I can make them hell, just ask Knuckles".
"No, no, bad memories", the guardian shook a hand in front of his face as through trying to ward something terrifying off, "you take her up on that Espio and you're a braver Mobian than I am". He didn't answer, but from the way he bad-temperedly stowed the visible star, everyone took that as him backing down.
XXX
Rouge raised a few puff of dirt as she landed again, licking her lips and commenting,
"Very nice, especially in those tight corners; I take it that was you two?"
"Mostly, but Mighty and Vec kept throwing us the stuff up" Charmy explained as he tried not to beam too much at the praise as Knuckles swung down from the pillar he'd climbed up and tested the ropes on,
"Have to agree, this is top-rate work; thanks guys. I won't have to touch this place again for at least a couple of years". Vector smiled and clapped the echidna on the shoulder,
"Glad we could help, but if you really wanna see somethin', get a load of this", he guided Knuckles around the nearest corner; the guardian looked around,
"So what am I supposed to be seeing?" He asked, perturbed at the seeming lack of decoration on this area of the ruins; he looked over his shoulder to see Vector whip his head back, seemingly checking they were alone before lowering his voice and whispering,
"Nothin' to see but plenty to hear; I had to tell you alone Knucks, you're the only one who'd have any idea", the echidna nodded, recognising the urgency in Vector's voice as the croc continued, "right, when I was scrapping with Metal, well, it didn't go very well; it ended up with him like this", he gently extended one of his larger hands; Knuckles didn't raise a protest as he felt the scales clasp softly around the fur high on his neck, easing his head back even as he imagined Metal Sonic being a lot less compromising in the strangle, "and his other hand like this". Rolling his eyes down, Knuckles saw Vector raise his other hand, fingers mimicking the claws he knew Metal had on his hands and shuddered as Vector released his grip and saw the thoughts in his eyes, nodding as he made his own feelings plain,
"Yeah, I know; I shouldn't be here now – I reckon when Metal's got you like that, over seven seconds is a lot longer than the average life expectancy".
"Got that right", Knuckles' face was grim as he ran this scenario and its possible implications over in his head, "Metal should have killed you".
"Right, but there might be a reason he didn't, any ideas?" Knuckles shut his eyes in thought for a second before, realising the others would be getting suspicious soon, he frowned,
"Can't see it – spill".
"The Legion repaired him, he might be under orders not to kill; maybe he just wanted to throw a scare into us, rattle us by threatening the biggest and ugliest of the lot".
"Don't do yourself down", Knuckles chuckled a little before a slight neural link was made and he looked curiously, "you think Dimitri might be behind this – Metal knows where the Master is, he uses him to get it, but won't let him kill?"
"I thought of that, might be something he'd try, or his family", Vector added a second later, raising a finger as if to emphasise the point, "Amy mentioned something about grandkids". Knuckles scratched his chin before realising time was up; any longer and they'd be prompting awkward questions, so he quickly wrapped it up,
"We'll keep all our eyes open in case he shows back up, but until then we can't say anything for sure. We count Metal, if he ever shows back up, as thought leaving you was just a façade; he's armed and lethal, okay?"
"My thoughts exactly"; Vector rubbed his neck unconsciously before following the guardian back out, Knuckles openly commenting the crocodile's idea of tying the leaning pillar both underneath and overhead for double security.
XXX
Travelling back in the Chaotix's van, the two returned treasure hunters were eagerly anticipating their homecoming, Knuckles in particular looking forwards to seeing Lara-Le again.
"I've got so much to tell her", he sat back as though reliving some wonderful sights in his head, "there's so much out there to see and do; she needs to be there and live it".
"Best bet's Tails then", Charmy commented as Vector swung a hard left and the silhouettes of the Echidnopolis skyline hove into view, "he's got a right little racket going now; I owe him half my comic collection". Rouge looked at the bee with an eyebrow raised; Mighty saw it and laughed,
"The godfather over there found out his own little secret; he's feeding the Echidnopolis sugar addiction on his own and raking in a killing in comics; Tails gives him the mints and he flogs them on". Rouge thought this over and laughed, punching Charmy on the shoulder slightly,
"A scheme after my own heart; see a need, fill a need, and if you can make a bit of cash out of it good for you".
"Hey, no muscling in on my turf", Charmy put on a gangster expression and folded his arms severely, "I own the Polo express around here; you'll take it from my cold dead hands".
"That could be easily arranged" Espio's acerbic remark seared the conversation like a branding iron; though she'd never have admitted it to his face, Rouge was grateful when the Chaotix rolled to a stop outside their new home and she could leave the chameleon's presence; something about him just rubbed her up the wrong way. As they prepared to go their separate way, Knuckles walked over and extended his hand to Mighty, offering two words to seal his approval of her appointment,
"Welcome aboard". She shook and smiled,
"Thanks, just glad I can make myself useful". Rouge watched on intently; as her husband dropped his grip with the armadillo, she tipped Mighty a wink,
"Believe me, Knuckles can find a use for anything", she looked up, starry eyed, "I never thought you could do that with an old lampshade…"
"Oi, I got a kick for that", Knuckles blustered under his suddenly red face, feeling the eyes of the Chaotix on his back trying desperately not to think of what the bat had meant by that and spectacularly failing; to disguise this he set his hands against her shoulders and began pushing her away, muttering, "one rule for me and another for the wife; I'm a hen-pecked husband already. Come on you; I want to see my mum, and believe me if you can't keep it shut then I'll find a use for my fists you really won't like".
"Help, spouse brutality" Rouge called as a few splutters escaped the watching Mobians.
"Not yet it's not; come on or we'll be late, she said a one o'clock table"; as the bat fell into step with him, the guardian moved away, waving over his shoulder as Vector disappeared inside, Charmy hot on his heels with Mighty not far behind. All three bundled their way inside before bursting out laughing, Mighty leaning against the wall as she asked,
"How did those two get it together; one of them should be dead by now".
"We've all asked; the only thing we can say is that love works in mysterious ways", Charmy gasped, shaking as he thought over the verbal exchange of seconds ago and giggled again, "put it this way, if by hating someone you really mean you love them, those two are together forever".
XXX
"Hey son", Lara had seen him coming and embraced him once more, as always in these priceless seconds she was content again, "have a great time I hope?"
"You bet we did", Knuckles answered as he slowly released his mother, letting her greet Rouge this time, the bat stooping to accept Lara's embrace; she was taller but more slender than most echidnas, Knuckles being the exception rather than the rule as he could see her eye to eye.
"Well, come on then", Wyn rubbed his hands eagerly, a waiting grin on his face as he pressed, "lets have it all, and don't leave anything out – wait, it was a joke!" He pleaded as Lara suddenly turned to face him, a venomous Look reducing his plans to ruin even as the newlyweds chuckled and shared a knowledgeable glance; I don't think he'd believe half the things we saw while we were gone.
"Just as well Wyn", Lara smiled with malice backing her to the hilt, "I'd hate to think it was anything else or…"
"I know, I know", the older echidna raised a hand in defeat before using it to indicate the entrance to his restaurant, "come on, dinner awaits, and after that, you've got a present you two".
There was a second of silence before Rouge wetted her lips and spoke,
"Oh Wyn, you didn't have to…"
"I didn't, and neither did Lara for that matter", the brown echidna raised both hands in a gesture of bafflement, "no idea where it came from, but it's here now and it's addressed to you pair. Any ideas?" Both guardians shook their heads,
"None, but anyway", Knuckles took his wife by one arm and his mother by the other and guided them towards the entrance of the restaurant where Wyn worked, "we'll find out in a while. Until now, I'm just dying for a dish of those clams in pepper sauce".
A few minutes later, as four glasses of sparkling white wine clinked together softly, the guardian sat back in his chair, surveying what he counted now as part of his extended family and turned briefly to look out the window and drink in the city that was all at once his to explore, his to own and his to protect. Knuckles faced front again, took a sip of his wine, looked at his wife with love in his eyes then took a deep, clearing breath,
"It's good to be home".
XXX
It was early evening, just before the customary argument as to who's turn it was to complete the dreaded washing and drying up, when the phone went; Charmy, close enough to squeeze through the press, dived for his chance and snatched up the receiver, pausing for a fractional look of triumph as he was out the way of argument for a few seconds before questioning,
"Hello?"
"Hi, Charmy"; wait, that's not…oh no; the bee's guard shot up as he recognised the voice and the face that it was constricted as though fighting to stay coherent,
"Rouge, are you okay?" Dizzying scenarios of doom span through Charmy's mind, the phone pressed hard against his ear as he spoke again, urgency in his voice, "what's happened, are you both all right?"
"Yeah", the bat paused for a second, Charmy thought he heard her blow her nose, "we're both, listen, could you all come around to Lara's place. There's, something, you need to…" Unable to listen to the sadness, or what sounded like sadness, in her voice any longer, the bee cut her off,
"We'll be there in fifteen minutes; hang on until then okay batgirl?" There was a watery giggle from the other end,
"Only Knuckles calls me that buzz-boy. Please, just hurry". Nodding even though she couldn't see him, the younger Mobian hung up and turned and ran face-first into the argument that still raged in the kitchen. Right; there was no way he'd shout above this lot; time for the patented ear-piercer; the bee placed both his fingers in his mouth and blew a long, loud note.
"This better be important Charmy" Vector demanded, hands still over his ears as the lingering echoes of the whistle rattled around his eardrums. He knew it had to be though; the bee hardly ever blew that note unless something huge was going down, or the alarm clock had broken. He nodded,
"It is", he rushed into the hall, donning his scarf even as his eyes remained fixed on his friends, "that was Rouge, she sounded like she was either in or close to tears and she wants us to get to Lara's pronto. So let's move".
"On it" three voices called back, a stampede to the shoe rack ensuing as the Chaotix mobilised, each unsure as to what they were letting themselves in for but determined not to let their friends down.
XXX
The chameleon, arriving slightly ahead of everyone else, rattled the door again with a succession of knocks, his eyes quickly checking that the others weren't too far behind him. He raised his hand absent-mindedly; only his keen ears notifying him that the door had been opened and allowing him to stall the knock he had planned. As he heard the drone of Charmy's wings above him, Espio turned to look at the owner of the property and, despite even his obfuscated emotions, let out a low breath of relief.
Lara-Le stood in the doorway to her home, looking down as the Chaotix arrived, her posture and pose identical to normal, form the neck down at least. It was the face that showed different; there were tear tracks in her fur, but now her eyes were clear and if anything looked humble, as though some great truth had been revealed before them. Such was the power of the conviction that, even when Mighty and Vector screeched to a halt, they too were rendered speechless despite the questions that burned within them. Lara quietly registered they were all there and stepped aside, a single word, her tone awed but clear, giving them direction,
"Lounge". So guided, mystified by what could have happened here, the four Mobians trooped inside, suspicious glances flickering between them before Charmy, slightly ahead due to his size, came into the entrance to the echidna lady's front room and immediately came to a halt, stopping dead with Vector, just behind him, following suit a second later. Cheated of a view, Mighty had to shove past the immobilised crocodile, though as she pushed Vector didn't react, his lips moving to form words so quiet she barely heard them.
"Sweet Jesus". What; she pushed gently, moving him slightly, desperate now to see what had ensnared her friends; what is…?
Her train of thought hit a sudden buffer and stopped dead; she was gone and lost in the scene before her. She knew that if she breathed, the veil would flutter in the slight wind of her breath, a word would break the moment, shatter the yearning want and love she could see in their eyes. Speech shut off, the armadillo took in every detail she could see feverishly, storing it away for all time; the way the coloured light from the window behind the scene dappled the white gown, the slight ruffles in the cloth atop the alter. Even the heat haze from the candles, how that subtly altered the background, warping the stained glass image behind them in a way that challenged the eye to follow clearly. All these details were spare a single glance; the vast majority of her focus was lavished on the central figures, the priest behind them somehow diminished in her sight as her eyes revealed the echidna's hands, how he must just be lifting the veil of the bride from her face, the thin material beginning to flutter down her back, catching the light as it did so, surrounding her head in a pearly white halo. Both bride and groom were standing, in their faces was etched relief, yearning, deep, eternal love and maybe, just maybe, the tiniest flicker of fear, unknowing as they were of quite what they were letting themselves in for. But you'll find out; she blinked back tears, she couldn't let them fracture this perfect image, willing as she was for the last act to take place; just a few seconds, and you'll know, you will know.
"It", the solitary word, spoken stutteringly and unsure, was enough; the painting was once more canvas and oils but the promise was still there; look at it too long and it would ensnare you once more, wrap you up in arms of comfort and allow you to share the magic of two young lives culminating their love at long last, "it's…"
Knuckles couldn't finish, there was no word for what this painting was; it the finest, most triumphant moment, if not second, of his life encapsulated, immortalised; from the second he and Rouge had opened the large brown paper package that contained this miracle, both had stood before it, back at the altar in their hearts and minds, tongues silenced, questions unasked as all were enraptured by the magnificence of the memory. Seeing her husband silenced again, Rouge finally tore her eyes away and spoke in the voice Charmy had mistaken for a sob,
"It's The End of the Hunt, and it's for us". Following her shaking finger, the Chaotix saw the thin thread of gold at the corner of the painting, all at once apart and integrated faultlessly into the master work; as Rouge had said, the picture depicted the culmination of a long and difficult quest, wherein the two Mobians now holding each other and gazing at the enshrined memory, had found and claimed the greatest treasure of all – the love of the other, forever and eternally.
A/N: So they're back and all is well, but what is Mecha experimenting with?